Methods, systems and devices for activity tracking device data synchronization with computing devices

ABSTRACT

Methods, devices and system are provided. One method includes capturing activity data associated with activity of a user via a device. The activity data is captured over time, and the activity data is quantifiable by a plurality of metrics. The method includes storing the activity data in storage of the device and, from time to time, connecting the device with a computing device over a wireless communication link. The method defines using a first transfer rate for transferring activity data captured and stored over a period of time. The first transfer rate is used following startup of an activity tracking application on the computing device The method also defines using a second transfer rate for transferring activity data from the device to the computing device for display of the activity data in substantial-real time on the computing device.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of patented U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/050,292, filed on Oct. 9, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,744,803,entitled “Methods, Systems and Devices for Activity Tracking Device DataSynchronization with Computing Devices”, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/885,962, filed on Oct. 2, 2013,entitled “Methods, Systems and Devices for Activity Tracking Device DataSynchronization with Computing Devices”, which is herein incorporated byreference.

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/959,714, filed on Aug. 5, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,762,101,titled “Methods and Systems for Identification of Event Data HavingCombined Activity and Location Information of Portable MonitoringDevices”, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/693,334 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,548,770, issued onOct. 1, 2013), filed on Dec. 4, 2012, titled “Portable MonitoringDevices and Methods for Operating Same”, which is a divisional of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/667,229 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,437,980, issued on May 7, 2013), filed on Nov. 2, 2012, titled“Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods for Operating Same”, which is adivisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/469,027, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,311,769, filed on May 10, 2012, titled “Portable MonitoringDevices and Methods for Operating Same”, which is a divisional of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 13/246,843, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,180,591,filed on Sep. 27, 2011, which is a divisional of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/156,304, filed on Jun. 8, 2011, titled “PortableMonitoring Devices and Methods for Operating Same”, which claims thebenefit of and priority to, under 35 U.S.C. 119§(e), to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 61/388,595, filed on Sep. 30, 2010, and titled“Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods for Operating Same”, and toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/390,811, filed on Oct. 7,2010, and titled “Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods for OperatingSame”, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

This application is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 13/959,714, filedAug. 5, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,762,101, titled “Methods and Systemsfor Identification of Event Data Having Combined Activity and LocationInformation of Portable Monitoring Devices”, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/759,485,(now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,543,351, issued on Sep. 24, 2013), filedon Feb. 5, 2013, titled “Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods forOperating Same”, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 13/667,229, filed on Nov. 2, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,437,980,titled “Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods for Operating Same”,which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/469,027,now U.S. Pat. No. 8,311,769, filed on May 10, 2012, titled “PortableMonitoring Devices and Methods for Operating Same”, which is adivisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/246,843, now U.S. Pat.No. 8,180,591, filed on Sep. 27, 2011, which is a divisional of pendingU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/156,304, filed on Jun. 8, 2011,titled “Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods for Operating Same”,which claims the benefit of and priority to, under 35 U.S.C. 119§(e), toU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/388,595, filed on Sep. 30,2010, and titled “Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods for OperatingSame” and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/390,811, filedon Oct. 7, 2010, and titled “Portable Monitoring Devices and Methods forOperating Same”, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

This application is a continuation-in-part of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/872,015, filed on Apr. 26, 2013, entitled“Secure Pairing of Devices via Paring Facilitator-Intermediary Device,”which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.61/638,650, filed on Apr. 26, 2012, both of which are hereinincorporated by reference.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application is related to pending U.S. application Ser. No.14/050,301, filed on Oct. 9, 2013, entitled “Methods, Systems, andDevices for Generating Real-Time Activity Data Updates to DisplayDevices,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/885,966, filed on Oct. 2, 2013, both of which are incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for capturingactivity data over a period of time and synchronizing data transfersbetween a tracker device and a client device.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, the need for health and fitness has grown tremendously.The growth has occurred due to a better understanding of the benefits ofgood fitness to overall health and wellness. Unfortunately, althoughtoday's modern culture has brought about many new technologies, such asthe Internet, connected devices and computers, people have become lessactive. Additionally, many office jobs require people to sit in front ofcomputer screens for long periods of time, which further reduces aperson's activity levels. Furthermore, much of today's entertainmentoptions involve viewing multimedia content, computer social networking,and other types of computer involved interfacing. Although such computeractivity can be very productive as well as entertaining, such activitytends to reduce a person's overall physical activity.

To provide users concerned with health and fitness a way of measuring oraccounting for their activity or lack thereof, fitness trackers areoften used. Fitness trackers are used to measure activity, such aswalking, motion, running, sleeping, being inactive, bicycling,exercising on an elliptical trainer, and the like. Usually, the datacollected by such fitness trackers can be transferred and viewed on acomputing device. However, such data is often provided as a basicaccumulation of activity data with complicated or confusing interfaces.In addition, updates between a tracker and a client device usuallyrequire wired connectors and/or complex syncing schemes.

It is in this context that embodiments described herein arise.

SUMMARY

Embodiments described in the present disclosure provide systems,apparatus, computer readable media, and methods for setting a datatransfer rate between an activity tracking device and a computing deviceclient, based on a detected update condition. The transfer rates are setby scaling the connection interval of data transfers up or down,depending on the type/amount of data to be transferred in accordancewith the update condition.

In one embodiment, a method is provided that includes capturing activitydata associated with activity of a user via a device. The activity datais captured over time, and the activity data is quantifiable by aplurality of metrics. The method includes storing the activity data instorage of the device and, from time to time, connecting the device witha computing device over a wireless communication link. The methoddefines using a first transfer rate for transferring activity datacaptured and stored over a period of time. The first transfer rate isused following startup of an activity tracking application on thecomputing device The method also defines using a second transfer ratefor transferring activity data from the device to the computing devicefor display of the activity data in substantial-real time on thecomputing device.

In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method includescapturing activity data associated with activity of a user via a device.The activity data is captured over time, and the activity data isquantified by a plurality of metrics. The method acts to store theactivity data in storage of the device and connecting the device with acomputing device over a wireless communication link. The method detectsan update condition when the device is connected with the computingdevice. The method sets a data transfer rate between the device and thecomputing device based upon the detected update condition. The updatecondition is used to select one of a first transfer rate fortransferring activity data captured and stored over a period of time ora second transfer rate for transferring activity data that isdisplayable in substantial-real time on the computing device. The updatecondition is used to select the first transfer rate when an activitytracking application is detected to be opened on the computing device,and the update condition is used to select the second transfer ratewhile the device is connectable with the computing device and theactivity tracking application remains open, the method is executed by aprocessor.

In another embodiment, a device configured for capture of activity for auser is provided. The device includes a housing and a sensor disposed inthe housing to capture activity data associated with activity of theuser. The activity data is captured over time, and the activity data isquantified by a plurality of metrics associated. A memory for storingthe captured activity data is provided in the device. The device furtherincludes a processor for connecting the device with a computing deviceover a wireless communication link. The processor detects an updatecondition when the device is connected with the computing device, suchthat the processor sets a data transfer rate between the device and thecomputing device based upon the detected update condition. The updatecondition used to select one of a first transfer rate for transferringactivity data captured and stored over a period of time or a secondtransfer rate for transferring activity data for display insubstantial-real time on the computing device. The update condition isused to select the first transfer rate when an activity trackingapplication on the computing device is detected to be open, and used toselect the second transfer rate while the device is connectable with thecomputing device and the activity tracking application remains open.

In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method includescapturing activity data associated with activity of a user via a device.The activity data is captured over time, and the activity dataquantified by a plurality of metrics. The activity data is stored instorage of the device. The method includes connecting the device to acomputing device over a wireless communication link and detecting anupdate condition. The method sets a data transfer rate between thedevice and the computing device based upon the detected updatecondition. The update condition is used to select one of a firsttransfer rate for transferring activity data captured and stored over aperiod of time or a second transfer rate for transferring activity datathat is displayable in substantial-real time on the computing device.The update condition is used to select the first transfer rate whenstarting an activity tracking application on the computing device isdetected, and the update condition is further used to select the secondtransfer rate while the device is connected with the computing deviceand the activity tracking application is open. The method includestransferring the activity data from the device to the computing deviceat the selected first or second transfer rate. The first transfer rateis set in response to scaling-up a connection interval and the secondtransfer rate is set in response to scaling-down the connectioninterval, the method is executed by a processor.

Computer readable medium for storing program instructions executable bya processor, for managing the transfer of data between an activitytracking device and a computing device client is also provided.

Other aspects will become apparent from the following detaileddescription, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,illustrating by way of example the principles of embodiments describedin the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments described in the present disclosure may best beunderstood by reference to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of an activity tracking device, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example of an activity tracking device, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1C illustrates another example of an activity tracking device, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of activity tracking device includingexample components utilized for tracking activity and motion of thedevice, and associated interfaces to a display screen, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of activity tracking device incommunication with a remote device and interfaces with a server, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate embodiments for communication operations betweenan activity tracking device, a client device, and a backend server.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing dynamic switching between first connectioninterval settings and second connection interval settings, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graph showing various periods of time whentransfers may occur between the activity tracking device and the clientdevice, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart diagram associated with one embodiment ofthe present invention where the connection interval is scaled up or downdepending on update condition detected between the activity trackingdevice and the computing device (client device).

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart diagram of one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example where various types of activities of userscan be captured or collected by activity tracking devices, in accordancewith various embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described in the present disclosure provide systems,apparatus, computer readable media, and methods for scaling a connectioninterval for data transfers to and from an activity tracking device anda computing device. The computing device can be a computer that executesan activity tracking application (APP). The computing device can take onany form, so long as it can process information, load and execute anapplication, and can communicate wirelessly with the activity trackingdevice. For example purposes, the computing device can be a computer, atablet computer, a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop, a desktop, a watchcomputer, glasses computer, or any device having access to memory andprocessing power.

The scaling of the connection interval enables dynamic setting of a datatransfer rate between the activity tracking device and the computingdevice, based on a determined update condition. The update condition caninclude detecting that an application (e.g., activity trackingapplication) on the computing device has been opened, which causes afirst transfer rate to be set. The first transfer rate has a scaled-upconnection interval which allows for a higher frequency of packets to besent between the activity tracking device and the computing device(e.g., changes the packet transfer frequency).

The scaled-up connection interval of the first transfer rate enableslarger blocks of data and/or data logs to be downloaded faster from theactivity tracking device to the computing device, so as to enabledisplay of tracked or monitored information collected when theapplication was not open or the computing device was not in wirelessconnection range with the activity tracking device. In some embodiments,the scaled-up connection interval also enables transfer of data forfirmware updates of the device, when updates are needed, scheduled orrequired. In one configuration, if the update conditions dictate thatthe activity tracking device is generating data that can be transferredto the computing device, while the application is open, the connectioninterval can be scaled-down to set a second data transfer rate betweenthe activity tracking device and the computing device. In oneembodiment, during the first transfer rate, the transfer of data fromthe activity tracking device is set directly to the site, e.g., storageassociated with a website that manages accounts concerning activitytracking information. In some embodiments, the computing device acts asa transfer pipe between the activity tracking device and the website.

The second transfer rate is used to transfer updates to enabledefinition of metrics regarding the monitored or captured activity data.In the scaled-down connection interval, the data transfer rate is slowerthan the scaled-up connection interval, but the amount of data to betransferred is typically less or is data that is just detected/monitoredby the activity tracking device. Thus, the second transfer rate of thescaled-down connection interval is sufficient to enable transfer ofupdates for activity data captured, monitored, or collected by theactivity tracking device to the computing device. The transfers ofupdates enable such activity data to be processed by the computingdevice and displayed in substantial real-time on a screen of thecomputing device, just as the activity is occurring and the connectionbetween the activity tracking device and computing device can bemaintained. In one embodiment, the second transfer rate is sufficient toenable an external device (e.g., computing device, smartphone, tablet,laptop, desktop, watch computer, glasses computer, etc.) to serve as areal time data display.

Furthermore, the transferred data need not be only motion data oractivity data, but the data can include any type of data, such asaltitude or relative altitude data, barometric pressure data, heart ratedata, temperature data, alarm data, goal data, history status data,processed data, raw data, etc.

Additionally, although the computing device may usually have access toan Internet connection, every transfer between the activity trackingdevice and the computing device does not require Internet connection.When the computing device is connected to the Internet, the computingdevice can then sync data to a server. The server, in one embodiment,can be one or more distributed servers, data centers, virtualizedservers in distributed data centers, etc. The server, in one embodiment,executes an activity management application that enables user accountaccess to metrics associated with activity tracking devices.

It should be noted that there are many inventions described andillustrated herein. The present inventions are neither limited to anysingle aspect nor embodiment thereof, nor to any combinations and/orpermutations of such aspects and/or embodiments. Moreover, each of theaspects of the present inventions, and/or embodiments thereof, may beemployed alone or in combination with one or more of the other aspectsof the present inventions and/or embodiments thereof. For the sake ofbrevity, many of those permutations and combinations will not bediscussed separately herein.

Further, in the course of describing and illustrating the presentinventions, various circuitry, architectures, structures, components,functions and/or elements, as well as combinations and/or permutationsthereof, are set forth. It should be understood that circuitry,architectures, structures, components, functions and/or elements otherthan those specifically described and illustrated, are contemplated andare within the scope of the present inventions, as well as combinationsand/or permutations thereof.

FIG. 1A shows a block diagram of an activity tracking device 100, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The activitytracking device 100 is contained in a housing, which may be worn or heldby a user. The housing may be in the form of a wristband, a clip ondevice, a wearable device, or may be held by the user either in theuser's hand or in a pocket or attached to the user's body. The activitytracking device 100 includes device components 102, which may be in theform of logic, storage, and glue logic, one or more processors,microelectronics, and interfacing circuitry. In one example, thecomponents 102 will include a processor 106, memory 108, a wirelesstransceiver 110, a user interface 114, biometric sensors 116, andenvironmental sensors 118.

The environmental sensors 118 may be in the form of motion detectingsensors. In some embodiments, a motion sensor can be one or more of anaccelerometer, or a gyroscope, or a rotary encoder, or a caloriemeasurement sensor, or a heat measurement sensor, or a moisturemeasurement sensor, or a displacement sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor,or a pedometer, or an altimeter, or a linear motion sensor, or anangular motion sensor, or a multi-axis motion sensor, or a combinationthereof. The biometric sensors 116 can be defined to measurephysiological characteristics of the user that is using the activitytracking device 100. The user interface 114 provides a way forcommunicating with the activity tracking device 100, in response to userinteraction 104. The user interaction 104 can be in the form of physicalcontact (e.g., without limitation, tapping, sliding, rubbing, multipletaps, gestures, etc.).

In some embodiments, the user interface 114 is configured to receiveuser interaction 104 that is in the form of noncontact input. Thenoncontact input can be by way of proximity sensors, button presses,touch sensitive screen inputs, graphical user interface inputs, voiceinputs, sound inputs, etc. The activity tracking device 100 cancommunicate with a client and/or server 112 using the wirelesstransceiver 110. The wireless transceiver 110 will allow the activitytracking device 100 to communicate using a wireless connection, which isenabled by wireless communication logic. The wireless communicationlogic can be in the form of a circuit having radio communicationcapabilities. The radio communication capabilities can be in the form ofa Wi-Fi™ connection, a Bluetooth™ connection, a low-energy Bluetooth™connection, or any other form of wireless tethering or near fieldcommunication. In still other embodiments, the activity tracking device100 can communicate with other computing devices using a wiredconnection (not shown). As mentioned, the environmental sensors 118 candetect motion of the activity tracking device 100.

The motion can be activity of the user, such as walking, running, stairclimbing, etc. The motion can also be in the form of physical contactreceived on any surface of the activity tracking device 100, so long asthe environmental sensors 118 can detect such motion from the physicalcontact. As will be explained in more detail below, the physical contactmay be in the form of a tap or multiple taps by a finger upon thehousing of the activity tracking device 100.

FIG. 1B illustrates an example of an activity tracking device 100 havinga housing 130 in the form of a wearable wrist attachable device. Thesensors of the activity tracking device 100 can, as mentioned above,detect motion such as physical contact that is applied and received on asurface 120 of the housing 130. In the example shown, the physicalcontact 124 is in the form of a tap or multiple taps on the surface 120.Device components 102 are, in one embodiment, contained within thehousing 130. The location at which the device components 102 areintegrated into the housing 130 can vary. For example, the devicecomponents 102 can be integrated throughout various locations around thehousing 130, and not limited to the central portion of the wristattachable device. In some embodiments, the device components 102 can beintegrated into or with a smart watch device.

In other embodiments, the device components 102 are positionedsubstantially in a central position of the wrist attachable device, suchas under or proximate to a location where a display screen 122 islocated. In the illustrated example, the housing 130 also includes abutton 126. The button 126 can be pressed to activate the display screen122, navigate to various metrics displayed on the screen 122, or turnoff the screen 122.

FIG. 1C illustrates another example of an activity tracking device 100,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The formfactor of the activity tracking device 100 is shown as a clickabledevice that includes a screen 122, a button 126, and device components102 integrated within the housing 130′. The housing 130′ can include aclip that allows for attachment to clothing or articles of the user, orto simply place the device within a pocket or holder of the user.Accordingly, the physical contact 124 shown with respect to FIG. 1B canalso be implemented upon the surface 120 of activity tracking device 100of FIG. 1C. It should be understood, therefore, that the form factor ofthe activity tracking device 100 can take on various configurations andshould not be limited to the example configurations provided herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of activity tracking device 100 of FIG.1A, showing some additional example components utilized for trackingactivity and motion of the device, and associated interfaces to displayscreen 122. In this example, the finger of a user can be used to tap andprovide physical contact 124 onto any surface 120 of activity trackingdevice 100. The physical contact, when sensed by sensors 156 of theactivity tracking device 100, will cause a response by the activitytracking device 100, and therefore provide some metric on the displayscreen 122. In one embodiment, examples of a display screen 122 caninclude, but are not limited to, liquid crystal display (LCD) screens,light emitting diode (LED) screens, organic light emitting diode (OLED)screens, plasma display screens, etc.

As shown in FIG. 2, the activity tracking device 100 includes logic 158.Logic 158 may include activity tracking logic 140, physical contactlogic 142, display interface logic 144, alarm management logic 146,wireless communication logic 148, processor 106, and sensors 156.Additionally, storage (e.g. memory) 108, and a battery 154 can beintegrated within the activity tracking device 100. The activitytracking logic 140 can include logic that is configured to processmotion data produced by sensors 156, so as to quantify the motion andproduce identifiable metrics associated with the motion.

Some motions will produce and quantify various types of metrics, such asstep count, stairs climbed, distance traveled, very active minutes,calories burned, etc. The physical contact logic 142 can include logicthat calculates or determines when particular physical contact canqualify as an input. To qualify as an input, the physical contactdetected by sensors 156 should have a particular pattern that isidentifiable as input. For example, the input may be predefined to be adouble tap input, and the physical contact logic 142 can analyze themotion to determine if a double tap indeed occurred in response toanalyzing the sensor data produced by sensors 156.

In other embodiments, the physical contact logic can be programmed todetermine when particular physical contacts occurred, the time inbetween the physical contacts, and whether the one or more physicalcontacts will qualify within predefined motion profiles that wouldindicate that an input is desired. If physical contact occurs that isnot within some predefined profile or pattern, the physical contactlogic will not indicate or qualify that physical contact as an input.

The display interface logic 144 is configured to interface with theprocessor and the physical contact logic to determine when specificmetric data will be displayed on the display screen 122 of the activitytracking device 100. The display interface logic 144 can act to turn onthe screen, display metric information, display characters oralphanumeric information, display graphical user interface graphics, orcombinations thereof. Alarm management logic 146 can function to providea user interface and settings for managing and receiving input from auser to set an alarm. The alarm management logic can interface with atimekeeping module (e.g., clock, calendar, time zone, etc.), and cantrigger the activation of an alarm. The alarm can be in the form of anaudible alarm or a non-audible alarm.

A non-audible alarm can provide such alarm by way of a vibration. Thevibration can be produced by a motor integrated in the activity trackingdevice 100. The vibration can be defined to include various vibrationpatterns, intensities, and custom set patterns. The vibration producedby the motor or motors of the activity tracking device 100 can bemanaged by the alarm management logic 146 in conjunction with processingby the processor 106. The wireless communication logic 148 is configuredfor communication of the activity tracking device with another computingdevice by way of a wireless signal. The wireless signal can be in theform of a radio signal. As noted above, the radio signal can be in theform of a Wi-Fi™ signal, a Bluetooth™ signal, a low energy Bluetooth™signal, or combinations thereof. The wireless communication logic caninterface with the processor 106, storage 108 and battery 154 of device100, for transferring activity data, which may be in the form of motiondata or processed motion data, stored in the storage 108 to thecomputing device.

In one embodiment, processor 106 functions in conjunction with thevarious logic components 140, 142, 144, 146, and 148. The processor 106can, in one embodiment, provide the functionality of any one or all ofthe logic components. In other embodiments, multiple chips can be usedto separate the processing performed by any one of the logic componentsand the processor 106. Sensors 156 can communicate via a bus with theprocessor 106 and/or the logic components. The storage 108 is also incommunication with the bus for providing storage of the motion dataprocessed or tracked by the activity tracking device 100. Battery 154 isprovided for providing power to the activity tracking device 100.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of activity tracking device 100 incommunication with a remote device 200. Remote device 200 is a computingdevice that is capable of communicating wirelessly with activitytracking device 100 and with the Internet 160. Remote device 200 cansupport installation and execution of applications (e.g., APPs, mobileAPPs, etc.). Such applications can include an activity trackingapplication 202. Activity tracking application 202 can be downloadedfrom a server. The server can be a specialized server or a server thatprovides applications to devices, such as an application store. Once theactivity tracking application 202 is installed in the remote device 200,the remote device 200 can communicate or be set to communicate withactivity tracking device 100 (Device A). The remote device 200 can be asmartphone, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, or any other computing device capable of wirelesslyinterfacing with Device A. In one embodiment, the remote device can alsohave circuitry and logic for communicating with the Internet. However,it should be understood that an Internet connection is not required toenable the remote device 200 to communicate with the activity trackingdevice 100.

In one embodiment, remote device 200 communicates with activity trackingdevice 100 over a Bluetooth™ connection. In one embodiment, theBluetooth™ connection is a low energy Bluetooth™ connection (e.g.,Bluetooth™ LE, BLE, or Bluetooth™ Smart). Low energy Bluetooth™ isconfigured for providing low power consumption relative to standardBluetooth™ circuitry. Low energy Bluetooth™ uses, in one embodiment, a2.4 GHz radio frequency, which allows for dual mode devices to share asingle radio antenna. In one embodiment, low energy Bluetooth™connections can function at distances up to 50 meters, with over the airdata rates ranging between 1-3 megabits (Mb) per second. In oneembodiment, a proximity distance for communication can be defined by theparticular wireless link, and is not tied to any specific standard. Itshould be understood that the proximity distance limitation will changein accordance with changes to existing standards and in view of futurestandards and/or circuitry and capabilities.

Remote device 200 can also communicate with the Internet 160 using anInternet connection. The Internet connection of the remote device 200can include cellular connections, wireless connections such as Wi-Fi™,and combinations thereof (such as connections to switches betweendifferent types of connection links). The remote device, as mentionedabove, can be a smartphone or tablet computer, or any other type ofcomputing device having access to the Internet and with capabilities forcommunicating with the activity tracking device 100.

In one embodiment, a server 220 is also provided, which is interfacedwith the Internet 160. The server 220 can include a number ofapplications that service the activity tracking device 100, and theassociated users of the activity tracking device 100 by way of useraccounts. For example, the server 220 can include an activity managementapplication 224. The activity management application 224 can includelogic for providing access to various activity tracking devices 100,which are associated with user accounts managed by server 220. Server220 can include storage 226 that includes various user profilesassociated with the various user accounts. The user account 228 a foruser A and the user account 228 n for user N are shown to includevarious information.

The information can include, without limitation, device-user accountparing 300, system configurations, user configurations, settings anddata, etc. The storage 226 will include any number of user profiles,depending on the number of registered users having user accounts fortheir respective activity tracking devices. It should also be noted thata single user account can have various or multiple devices associatedtherewith, and the multiple devices can be individually customized,managed and accessed by a user. In one embodiment, the server 220provides access to a user to view the user data 302 associated withactivity tracking device. The user data can include historical activitydata.

The data viewable by the user includes the tracked motion data, which isprocessed to identify a plurality of metrics associated with the motiondata. The metrics are shown in various graphical user interfaces of awebsite enabled by the server 220. The website can include various pageswith graphical user interfaces for rendering and displaying the variousmetrics for view by the user associated with the user account. In oneembodiment, the website can also include interfaces that allow for dataentry and configuration by the user.

The configurations may include defining which metrics will be displayedon the activity tracking device 100. In addition, the configurations caninclude identification of which metrics will be a first metric to bedisplayed on the activity tracking device. The first metric to bedisplayed by the activity tracking device can be in response to a userinput at the activity tracked device 100. As noted above, the user inputcan be by way of physical contact. The physical contact is qualified bythe processor and/or logic of the activity tracking device 100 todetermine if the physical contact should be treated as an input. Theinput can trigger or cause the display screen of the activity trackingdevice 100 to be turned on to display a specific metric, that isselected by the user as the first metric to display. In anotherembodiment, the first metric displayed in response to the input can bepredefined by the system as a default.

The configuration provided by the user by way of the server 220 and theactivity management application 224 can also be provided by way of theactivity tracking application 202 of the computing device 200. Forexample, the activity tracking application 202 can include a pluralityof screens that also display metrics associated with the captured motiondata of the activity tracking device 100. The activity trackingapplication 202 can also allow for user input and configuration atvarious graphical user interface screens to set and define which inputwill produce display.

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrates embodiments of communication operations betweenan activity tracking device, a client device, and a backend server, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The communication described with reference to the flow diagrams in FIGS.4A-4C should only be viewed as exemplary of operations that occurbetween the activity tracking device, a client device (computingdevice), and a backend server (server). In this illustrated example,thick pointed arrows indicate that a connection interval has been scaledup so as to operate data transfers at a first data transfer rate, whilea thin pointed arrow indicates a connection interval that has beenscaled down so as to operate data transfers at a second data transferrate.

In one embodiment, the first transfer rate is designed to allow thetransfer of larger amounts of data that have been stored on the activitytracking device over a period of time, such as since the last connectionwas made to a computing device. The activity tracking data stored on theactivity tracking device can include, for example, motion dataassociated with the various activities performed by a user, data sensedby the activity tracking device, or data measured by the activitytracking device.

The various activities may include, without limitation, walking,running, jogging, walking up and down stairs, and general movement.Other information that can be stored by the activity tracking device caninclude, for example, measured information such as heart rateinformation, temperature information, etc. In one embodiment, storage ofthe activity tracking device will store this information for a period oftime until a connection is made to a client device, such as a computingdevice configured to sync with the activity tracking device. In oneembodiment, the computing device (client device) can be a smart phone, atablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a generalcomputing device.

In one embodiment, the first transfer rate is defined by scaling up theconnection interval of the communication channel established between theactivity tracking device and the client device. For example, if thecommunication channel is a low energy Bluetooth™ connection, theconnection interval can be scaled to enable a transfer of packets thatis more frequent than the second transfer rate.

First Transfer Rate (Connection Interval Scale-Up)

The connection interval for the first transfer rate can be scaled up toset a throughput of packets, such that each packet is transferred inless than about 200 milliseconds (ms). In one example embodiment, thefirst transfer rate is set to transfer one packet every about 10 ms toabout 30 ms. In another example embodiment, the first transfer rate canbe one packet every about 20 ms. In one embodiment, each packet is about20 bytes.

In one embodiment, the first data transfer rate may be defined in termsof a frequency, in a range of between about 500 Bps (bytes per second)and about 2 kBps (kilobytes per second). In one example data transferrate is about 1 kBps (kilobyte per second).

Second Transfer Rate (Connection Interval Scale-Down)

The connection interval for the second transfer rate can scaled down toset a throughput of packets, such that each packet is transferred at aninterval that is greater than about 200 milliseconds (ms). In oneexample embodiment, the second transfer rate is set to transfer a packetevery 500 ms. In some embodiments, depending on the frequency of eventsor lack of events, the transfer rate can be set to update only afterseveral seconds (e.g., about 1-10 seconds). In one embodiment, eachpacket is about 20 bytes.

In one embodiment, the second data transfer rate may define a frequencyvalue that is less than 500 bps (bytes per second). In anotherembodiment, the second data transfer rate can be set to a value that isless than 100 bps (bytes per second). In still another example, thesecond data transfer rate can be about 1 Bps (1 byte per second). Insome embodiments, depending on the frequency of events or lack ofevents, the transfer rate can be scaled down even further.

It should be understood that these example rates, parameters, and/orsizes can change over time, depending on standards, customizations,and/or optimizations. So therefore, these parameters should only beviewed as examples. It is further understood that the methods anddevices defined herein can implement embodiments that include more thantwo data transfer rates. In fact, the number of data transfer rates caninclude any number, based on a number of predefined scaled up or scaleddown connection intervals. The number of intervals will vary, of course,depending on the implementation.

By scaling the connection intervals up or down, it is not the actualthroughput that is being changed, but rather the possible bandwidth thatcan be supported by the channel. In the first data transfer rate, thescaled setting uses almost all of the channel bandwidth. In the seconddata transfer rate, most of the available channel bandwidth goes unused.A consideration for both transfer rates is latency, so the system doesnot want to have to wait too long before a single event (e.g.,essentially one bit of information) can go from one device to another.

Returning to FIG. 4A, activity begins in operation 402 where theactivity tracking device detects and stores activity data associatedwith motion or data collected by the device. In the example of FIG. 4A,it is assumed that the activity tracking device has never beensynchronized a website (e.g., site) of a server. Therefore, a pairing ofthe activity tracking device to the site needs to occur, at least once.

The client device, in operation 408 may detect that an application isopened on the client device. The application that is opened is theactivity tracking application 202, for example. In operation 410, theclient device begins to pair with the activity tracking device. Pairingmay occur, for example, upon request of a user that initiates thepairing.

The pairing, in this embodiment is a pairing between the activitytracking device and the site, which is enabled via the computing deviceclient. For example, the scanning, connecting and data transfer at thecomputing device will enable the pairing with the site and sync 403. Ifthe activity tracking device has activity data, it will also besynchronized with the site, as shown in 424 and 425. The communicationbetween the computing device and the activity tracking device is carriedout in accordance with the first transfer rate, which uses a scaled-upconnection interval to transfer data. The first transfer rate caninclude, for example, command data 430 requesting data from the activitytracking device, sending data 432, and acknowledgement information 434for received data. At this point, the user may wish to close application414 at the client computing device.

In FIG. 4B, an example is shown of a connection where the activitytracking device had previously been paired to the site on the server, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In operation402, activity data is detected and stored on the activity trackingdevice. At some point, an application is opened 408 at the computingdevice. As noted above, the application may be an activity trackingapplication 202. An update condition is detected by the client device,which is identified by opening the application. The update conditionwill act to scale-up the connection interval, so as to set a first datatransfer rate.

The thick arrows 430, 432 and 434 represent the first data transferrate, which is a faster transfer rate than the second transfer rate.Once the syncing with the site 404 and sync 425 is complete, using thescanning, connecting and data transfer 412 of the client, the operationof real-time client display updates 406 is processed.

The update condition has now changed, which causes a scale down of theconnection intervals between the activity tracking device and thecomputing device. This, as noted above, causes the second transfer rateto govern for data exchanged to the computing device for real-time datadisplay 420. In one embodiment, arrow 436 indicates a request from thecomputing device for real time updates. Arrows 438 indicate datatransfers of any data available for transfer, using the second datatransfer rate. Arrow 439 indicate a command that the client device hasclosed the application 414, so that the device can stop sending updates.

FIG. 4C illustrates an embodiment where the activity tracking device isconnected to the computing device, without a connection with the server.Without server connection, the computing device (client) will notestablish a pairing with the server, but instead will only establish aconnection with the activity tracking device to perform real-time clientdisplay updates. As noted above, the activity tracking device will beset to communicate with the computing device using the second transferrate, which is a result of scaling down the connection interval forperforming the transfer of updates.

In this embodiment, the transfer of updates takes place to the computingdevice, which can display updates from the tracker in substantial realtime. In one embodiment, the updates are transferred at a rate that issubstantially not noticeable to a user viewing a changing screen ordisplay of the computing device (e.g., the display of a smartphone, asmart watch, glasses device, etc.). In one example, the substantialreal-time updates occur with transfer delay to the display that is lessthan about 2 seconds. In other embodiments, the transfer delay is lessthan about 1 second. In still other embodiments, the transfer delay isless than about 0.6 second. To human perception, the updates wouldappear to occur in real-time, wherein the updated activity data iscontinuously updated to the client device, and the display changescontinuously or intermittently, depending on whether activity wascaptured or not. In some embodiments, the real time display will shownumbers on a screen changing, such as counting steps, counting stairs,showing distance traveled, etc.

The communication between the client device and the server is executedusing an Internet connection link, such as a Wi-Fi™ connection orcellular connection. As noted in this disclosure, the activity trackingdevice can be a wearable device on the wrist of a user, or a device thatcan be held by the user or attached to the user's clothing. As the userengages in motion or activities, the captured information can betransferred directly to the client device, such as a smart phone havingan activity tracking application 202.

If the activity tracking application 202 is open, and the user isviewing one or more screens or data provided by the activity trackingapplication, that motion or activity data is transferred to the smartphone for display. Thus, if the user is currently viewing a screen thatdisplays metric data associated with the activity being performed by theuser, that activity can be updated substantially in real time as theuser engages in the activity. For example, if the user is walking whileviewing the screen that displays the number of steps, the number ofsteps can be shown to increase as the user is walking and viewing thedisplay on the smart phone.

As the flow diagrams of FIGS. 4A-4C show, communication is managedbetween activity tracking device, the computing device, and the backendserver. However, it should be understood that the communication betweenthe activity tracking device and the client device can occur withouthaving any Internet connection or connections to the backend server, asnoted with response to FIG. 4C. When Internet connection is establishedby the client device at some point, the client device can thensynchronize with the backend server, such as during background syncs, orwhen the app on the client device is again opened.

FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating the dynamic switching between firstconnection interval settings 502 and second connection interval settings504, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In thisexample, the vertical axis is the transfer rate, while the horizontalaxis is time. At some point in time, an application is opened at aclient device. The application that is opened is, in one example, anactivity tracking application 202, as described in FIG. 3. When theactivity tracking application 202 is opened at 510, the communicationbetween activity tracking device and the client device will be scaled upin terms of the connection interval. The connection interval defines afirst transfer rate 506 where packets are sent during a period of time,or the frequency.

As mentioned above, the first connection interval setting 502 maytransfer one packet every about 10 ms to about 30 ms. The packettransfer occurs over a low-energy Bluetooth™ connection, which savesenergy by the activity tracking device. In one embodiment, the firstconnection interval setting 502 will remain during the data transfer.The data transfer that occurs upon first opening the application 202 isto transfer data that has been stored in the activity tracking devicefor some time. This data may include data held by the activity trackingdevice for several hours, days, or even months.

Therefore, during the first connection interval setting 502, suchcollected and stored data is downloaded to the client device so as toenable the client device to process the data and display information onone or more graphical user interfaces of the activity trackingapplication 202. In one embodiment, the first connection intervalsetting 502 can also be used to transfer firmware from the client deviceto the activity tracking device.

The transfer of firmware to the activity tracking device generallyincludes transferring a larger chunk of data, and the increased orscaled up connection interval allows for such transfer to occur at arelatively fast rate. By using a scaled up connection interval, over aBluetooth™ low-energy connection, the scaled-up connection intervalprovides for essentially a serialized transmission channel between theclient device and the activity tracking device. In Bluetooth™low-energy, serial data transfers are not allowed, but by scaling up theconnection interval, it is possible to simulate an actual serialconnection. In the context of firmware updates, it is noted that thefirmware image is running on the activity tracking device, so updatesneed to be coordinated with the transmission of commands to save state,stop running the image, install the image, and resume execution of thefirmware image update. Because the connection between the activitytracking device and the client devices is essentially serialized (due tothe scaled up connection interval setting), the firmware image files andcommands to update can be managed by the server.

The server, when it is determined that updates are needed, can issueinstructions to scale up the connection interval, transfer the firmwareupdates and coordinate the install, directly from the server. In oneembodiment, by coordinating the firmware update from the server, it isnot necessary to have the application running on the client devicemanage the updates, which also avoids having to coordinate with Appstores and sites to enable firmware updates. The determination toupdate, the updating, and the coordination of the updates can bedirected from the server, at any schedule or when updates are needed. Inthis configuration, the client device simply acts as a communicationpipe that enables the direct communication and exchange of control anddata/firmware to the activity tracking device from the server.

In one embodiment, a device 100 can have two operating systems (OSs) sothat each can be updated independently, and without risk of leavingdevice unable to communicate over Bluetooth™. In one configuration, thefirmware update protocol includes deciding which OS the tracker willboot. The site on the server stores information about every firmwareversion and can compute deltas and data migration instructions from anyversion to any other version. For example, the computing device clientcan iteratively query current state from device 100, send the state tothe site, receives in response a particular command to send to thedevice, and then after executing the command again queries the devicefor its current state. In this manner, no details about any particularversion needs to be known by the client, as the site can manage thefirmware updates.

Continuing with FIG. 5, at point 512, it is detected that the downloadof data has concluded or the firmware update has concluded, and at thatpoint the connection interval is scaled down to a second connectioninterval setting 504. The second connection interval setting 504 acts toreduce the transfer rate to a second transfer rate. As noted above, thesecond transfer rate is used because the amount of data beingtransferred during this time only represents updates to data stored inthe client device. For example, the updated data can include currentlymonitored step count, which is transferred as small packet updates tothe client device.

The client device can then display in substantial real-time the updateson one or more of the graphical user interface screens provided by theactivity tracking application 202. As noted above, one example of thesecond transfer rate can be to transfer one packet every 500 ms. Thistransfer rate is sufficient to update one or more of the metrics beingcaptured by the activity tracking device and configured for display insubstantial real-time on the client device (screen of a smart phone).The second connection interval setting 504 will remain during the periodof time when updates for changes in activity data are captured by theactivity tracking device or data is ready for transfer. When theactivity tracking application 202 closes, the substantial real-timeupdates will stop or terminate.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graph 550 showing various periods of time whentransfers occur between the activity tracking device and the clientdevice, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. Inthe example, data transfers (e.g., updates) occur during backgroundupdates 602, download updates 604, real-time updates 606, and no updatesduring out of range computing devices 608. In this example, the firsttransfer rate 506 and the second transfer rate 508 are shown in thevertical axis. The horizontal axis displays time.

When the activity tracking application 202 is not open, but thecomputing device is within a range of communication with the activitytracking device, background updates 602 are enabled. Background updatesare programmed at predetermined times depending on how often or howinfrequent updates have been received from an activity tracking device.In the graph, background updates occurred at times t1-t2, t3-t4, andt5-t6. In one embodiment, background syncing can be triggered by thetracker advertising that it has data to sync and typically the realworld time between these data syncs is 15-90 minutes, or typicallyoccurring in the 20-30 minute range. Background mode updates/syncing,however, is enabled when the activity tracking device is withincommunication range of the computing device (client device). In oneembodiment, the range can be defined by capabilities of low-energyBluetooth™ standards, and also taking into consideration the environmentand/or structures between the tracker and the client.

In other embodiments, other communication distances may be enabled ifother wireless standards are used now or in the future. As furthershown, the background update 602, in one embodiment occur at the secondtransfer rate 502, which implement the second connection intervalsetting. In an alternate embodiment, the background update 602 can beperformed using the first interval connection setting 502. Downloadupdates 604 occur at the first connection interval setting, where largerchunks of data are transferred from storage of the activity trackingdevice when it is detected that the application has opened at time t7.Between time t7 and t8, the download updates 604 occur, or firmwareupdates to the activity tracking device.

The transfer rate is set at the first transfer rate by scaling up theconnection interval between the activity tracking device and thecomputing device (transferring at the first connection interval setting502). After it is detected that the application has closed at time t8,the second connection interval setting 504 is set by scaling down theconnection interval. This places real-time updates 606 at the secondtransfer rate 508. As illustrated by the vertical bars, transfers areless continuous during this time, and depend on whether or not data isbeing produced by the activity tracking device and there is a need totransfer the data to the client device. For any such transfers of data,the transfers will occur at the second transfer rate, dictated by thesecond connection interval setting 504. At time t9, it is determinedthat the application has closed. If the computing device goes out ofrange of the activity tracking device, no updates will occur during time608.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart diagram associated with one embodiment ofthe present invention where the connection interval is scaled up or downdepending on update condition detected between the activity trackingdevice and the computing device (client device). The method begins inoperation 702 where activity data is collected using the activitytracking device. The activity data is a result of motion data producedby the user who is wearing, holding, or carrying connectivity trackingdevice. The activity data can also be associated with data monitored bythe device, such as blood pressure, heart rate, barometer reading, andother metrics associated with environmental conditions or conditions ofa user. In operation 704, the collected activity data is stored instorage of the activity tracking device. The storage can be any type ofmemory, such as nonvolatile memory.

The update condition is determined at operation 706 and 708, in oneexample. For instance, in operation 706 it is determined if theapplication (e.g., activity tracking application 202) is open and isconnectable (e.g., within range for connection) with the activitytracking device. If the application is not opened, it is determined inoperation 708 if the computing device is connectable with the devicewithin a transfer range. If the computing devices is within a transferrange, the method moves to operation 712. In operation 712, a backgrounddata transfers performed to the computing device using the secondtransfer rate, which is at a predefined scaled interval connectionspeed.

In another embodiment, background transfers can be executed at the firsttransfer rate. If it is determined that the device is not within therange of transfer with the computing device in operation 708, the methodreturns to operation 704 where that activity tracking device continuesto collect data. If it is determined in operation 706 that theapplication is open and is within the transfer range, the method movesto operation 710 where a download of data stored in the storage of theactivity tracking device is transferred to the computing device at thefirst transfer rate. As noted above, the first transfer rate is fasterthan the second transfer rate, and is designed to transfer largeramounts of data over a low-energy Bluetooth™ wireless connection.

The first transfer rate may be, for example, enabling the transfer of apacket every 10 ms to 30 ms, whereas the second transfer rate may beenabling transfer of a packet after more than 200 ms, or after more than300 ms, or after 400 ms, or after 500 ms. In operation 714, it isdetermined that the application is connected with the activity trackingdevice and is open. If the application remains open, then real-timeupdates 716 are performed such that one or more metrics associated withcollected activity data is transferred to the computing device from theactivity tracking device. This information can be displayed insubstantial real time on one or more screens of the activity trackingapplication 202 rendered on a computing device 200 (e.g. smart phone,tablet, etc.). If in operation 714 it is determined that the applicationis no longer open, the method would return back to 702 where theactivity tracking device continues to track data and store it inoperation 704.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart diagram of one embodiment of the presentinvention. In this example, operation 802 includes collecting activitydata by the activity tracking device. As noted above, the type of datacollected by the activity tracking device can be associated with motiondata, data monitored from the user, data monitored from surroundingconditions, etc. In operation 804, the collected activity data is storedin storage of the activity tracking device.

In operation 806, the update condition is determined for a currentconnection between the activity tracking device and a computing device.The update condition can identify whether an application has just beenopened, whether the application remains open after a first transfer ratehas concluded to transfer stored data or perform firmware updates, or ifbackground updates are required. Depending on the update condition, itis determined whether to scale the connection interval up or down tooptimize the data transfer operation. In operation 808 it is determinedthat the connection interval should be scaled up to a first transferrate during a download of data from the activity tracking device to theclient device, or a firmware update from the client device to theactivity tracking device.

In operation 810, it is determined that the connection interval shouldbe scaled down to a second transfer rate for updating changes to metricsassociated with collected activity data. At the scaled down connectioninterval rate, e.g., the second transfer rate, updates associated withone or more metrics can be transferred to the client device for displayon one or more graphical user interface screens. The graphical userinterface screens can include metric data that is changing on the fly asthe user generates activity.

For instance, if the user is walking while viewing the one or moregraphical user interface screens of the client device (e.g. running theactivity tracking application 202), the step count will be shown to beincreasing as the user takes each step. In another example, if the useris climbing stairs, the stair account would be increasing. In stillanother example, if the user is producing very active motion, the countof very active minutes can be shown to increase dynamically. Similarly,the calories burned count can be shown to increase dynamically while theuser is performing an activity.

In one embodiment, synchronization (e.g., syncing) is a process betweenan activity tracking device and the web site. For example, the clientdevice can be viewed as a dumb pipe that merely transmits data to theweb site and then transmits a response to the activity tracking device.If there is no internet connection for the client device, no syncing isperformed with the website. Syncing can then occur at a later time whenan Internet connection has been established. In one embodiment, a “storeand forward” type of approach can be implemented which just introducesasynchronous delays. The client would retrieve data from the trackerwhen it could, store it, and then relay the data to the site and get aresponse from the site later when there was an internet connection. Inone embodiment, later, when the tracker was again available, the clientcould send the stored response to the tracker.

In some embodiments, a device is provided. The device is defined in aform of a wearable wrist attachable structure. In one embodiment, thedevice has a housing that is at least partially constructed or formedfrom a plastic material. In one embodiment, the housing of the deviceincludes an altimeter. The defines can further include a transientlyvisible display, or a dead-front display, a touch screen display, amonochrome display, a digital display, a color display, or combinationthereof. In yet another embodiment, the device can include one or moreaccelerometers. In one specific example, the device can include a 3-axisaccelerometer. On still another embodiment, a 3-axis accelerometer canbe replaced with or replicated by use of separate accelerometers (e.g.,3 accelerometers) positioned orthogonally to each other.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example where various types of activities of users900A-900I can be captured by activity tracking devices 100, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown, thevarious types of activities can generate different types of data thatcan be captured by the activity tracking device 100. The data, which canbe represented as motion data (or processed motion data) can betransferred 920 to a network 176 for processing and saving by a server,as described above. In one embodiment, the activity tracking device 100can communicate to a device using a wireless connection, and the deviceis capable of communicating and synchronizing the captured data with anapplication running on the server. In one embodiment, an applicationrunning on a local device, such as a smart phone or tablet or smartwatch can capture or receive data from the activity tracking device 100and represent the tract motion data in a number of metrics.

In one embodiment, the device collects one or more types ofphysiological and/or environmental data from embedded sensors and/orexternal devices and communicates or relays such metric information toother devices, including devices capable of serving asInternet-accessible data sources, thus permitting the collected data tobe viewed, for example, using a web browser or network-basedapplication. For example, while the user is wearing an activity trackingdevice, the device may calculate and store the user's step count usingone or more sensors. The device then transmits data representative ofthe user's step count to an account on a web service, computer, mobilephone, or health station where the data may be stored, processed, andvisualized by the user. Indeed, the device may measure or calculate aplurality of other physiological metrics in addition to, or in place of,the user's step count.

Some physiological metrics include, but are not limited to, energyexpenditure (for example, calorie burn), floors climbed and/ordescended, heart rate, heart rate variability, heart rate recovery,location and/or heading (for example, through GPS), elevation,ambulatory speed and/or distance traveled, swimming lap count, bicycledistance and/or speed, blood pressure, blood glucose, skin conduction,skin and/or body temperature, electromyography, electroencephalography,weight, body fat, caloric intake, nutritional intake from food,medication intake, sleep periods (i.e., clock time), sleep phases, sleepquality and/or duration, pH levels, hydration levels, and respirationrate. The device may also measure or calculate metrics related to theenvironment around the user such as barometric pressure, weatherconditions (for example, temperature, humidity, pollen count, airquality, rain/snow conditions, wind speed), light exposure (for example,ambient light, UV light exposure, time and/or duration spent indarkness), noise exposure, radiation exposure, and magnetic field.

Still further, other metrics can include, without limitation, caloriesburned by a user, weight gained by a user, weight lost by a user, stairsascended, e.g., climbed, etc., by a user, stairs descended by a user,steps taken by a user during walking or running, a number of rotationsof a bicycle pedal rotated by a user, sedentary activity data, driving avehicle, a number of golf swings taken by a user, a number of forehandsof a sport played by a user, a number of backhands of a sport played bya user, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, sedentaryactivity data is referred to herein as inactive activity data or aspassive activity data. In some embodiments, when a user is not sedentaryand is not sleeping, the user is active. In some embodiments, a user maystand on a monitoring device that determines a physiological parameterof the user. For example, a user stands on a scale that measures aweight, a body fat percentage, a biomass index, or a combinationthereof, of the user.

Furthermore, the device or the system collating the data streams maycalculate metrics derived from this data. For example, the device orsystem may calculate the user's stress and/or relaxation levels througha combination of heart rate variability, skin conduction, noisepollution, and sleep quality. In another example, the device or systemmay determine the efficacy of a medical intervention (for example,medication) through the combination of medication intake, sleep and/oractivity data. In yet another example, the device or system maydetermine the efficacy of an allergy medication through the combinationof pollen data, medication intake, sleep and/or activity data. Theseexamples are provided for illustration only and are not intended to belimiting or exhaustive.

This information can be associated to the users account, which can bemanaged by an activity management application on the server. Theactivity management application can provide access to the users accountand data saved thereon. The activity manager application running on theserver can be in the form of a web application. The web application canprovide access to a number of websites screens and pages that illustrateinformation regarding the metrics in various formats. This informationcan be viewed by the user, and synchronized with a computing device ofthe user, such as a smart phone.

In one embodiment, the data captured by the activity tracking device 100is received by the computing device, and the data is synchronized withthe activity measured application on the server. In this example, dataviewable on the computing device (e.g. smart phone) using an activitytracking application (app) can be synchronized with the data present onthe server, and associated with the user's account. In this way,information entered into the activity tracking application on thecomputing device can be synchronized with application illustrated in thevarious screens of the activity management application provided by theserver on the website.

The user can therefore access the data associated with the user accountusing any device having access to the Internet. Data received by thenetwork 176 can then be synchronized with the user's various devices,and analytics on the server can provide data analysis to providerecommendations for additional activity, and or improvements in physicalhealth. The process therefore continues where data is captured,analyzed, synchronized, and recommendations are produced. In someembodiments, the captured data can be itemized and partitioned based onthe type of activity being performed, and such information can beprovided to the user on the website via graphical user interfaces, or byway of the application executed on the user's smart phone (by way ofgraphical user interfaces).

In an embodiment, the sensor or sensors of a device 100 can determine orcapture data to determine an amount of movement of the monitoring deviceover a period of time. The sensors can include, for example, anaccelerometer, a magnetometer, a gyroscope, or combinations thereof.Broadly speaking, these sensors are inertial sensors, which capture somemovement data, in response to the device 100 being moved. The amount ofmovement (e.g., motion sensed) may occur when the user is performing anactivity of climbing stairs over the time period, walking, running, etc.The monitoring device may be worn on a wrist, carried by a user, worn onclothing (using a clip, or placed in a pocket), attached to a leg orfoot, attached to the user's chest, waist, or integrated in an articleof clothing such as a shirt, hat, pants, blouse, glasses, and the like.These examples are not limiting to all the possible ways the sensors ofthe device can be associated with a user or thing being monitored.

In other embodiments, a biological sensor can determine any number ofphysiological characteristics of a user. As another example, thebiological sensor may determine heart rate, a hydration level, body fat,bone density, fingerprint data, sweat rate, and/or a bioimpedance of theuser. Examples of the biological sensors include, without limitation, abiometric sensor, a physiological parameter sensor, a pedometer, or acombination thereof.

In some embodiments, data associated with the user's activity can bemonitored by the applications on the server and the users device, andactivity associated with the user's friends, acquaintances, or socialnetwork peers can also be shared, based on the user's authorization.This provides for the ability for friends to compete regarding theirfitness, achieve goals, receive badges for achieving goals, getreminders for achieving such goals, rewards or discounts for achievingcertain goals, etc.

As noted, an activity tracking device 100 can communicate with acomputing device (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet computer, a desktopcomputer, or computer device having wireless communication access and/oraccess to the Internet). The computing device, in turn, can communicateover a network, such as the Internet or an Intranet to provide datasynchronization. The network may be a wide area network, a local areanetwork, or a combination thereof. The network may be coupled to one ormore servers, one or more virtual machines, or a combination thereof. Aserver, a virtual machine, a controller of a monitoring device, or acontroller of a computing device is sometimes referred to herein as acomputing resource. Examples of a controller include a processor and amemory device.

In one embodiment, the processor may be a general purpose processor. Inanother embodiment, the processor can be a customized processorconfigured to run specific algorithms or operations. Such processors caninclude digital signal processors (DSPs), which are designed to executeor interact with specific chips, signals, wires, and perform certainalgorithms, processes, state diagrams, feedback, detection, execution,or the like. In some embodiments, a processor can include or beinterfaced with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), aprogrammable logic device (PLD), a central processing unit (CPU), or acombination thereof, etc.

In some embodiments, one or more chips, modules, devices, or logic canbe defined to execute instructions or logic, which collectively can beviewed or characterized to be a processor. Therefore, it should beunderstood that a processor does not necessarily have to be one singlechip or module, but can be defined from a collection of electronic orconnecting components, logic, firmware, code, and combinations thereof.

Examples of a memory device include a random access memory (RAM) and aread-only memory (ROM). A memory device may be a Flash memory, aredundant array of disks (RAID), a hard disk, or a combination thereof.

Embodiments described in the present disclosure may be practiced withvarious computer system configurations including hand-held devices,microprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumerelectronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. Severalembodiments described in the present disclosure can also be practiced indistributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remoteprocessing devices that are linked through a wire-based or wirelessnetwork.

With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that anumber of embodiments described in the present disclosure can employvarious computer-implemented operations involving data stored incomputer systems. These operations are those requiring physicalmanipulation of physical quantities. Any of the operations describedherein that form part of various embodiments described in the presentdisclosure are useful machine operations. Several embodiments describedin the present disclosure also relate to a device or an apparatus forperforming these operations. The apparatus can be specially constructedfor a purpose, or the apparatus can be a computer selectively activatedor configured by a computer program stored in the computer. Inparticular, various machines can be used with computer programs writtenin accordance with the teachings herein, or it may be more convenient toconstruct a more specialized apparatus to perform the requiredoperations.

Various embodiments described in the present disclosure can also beembodied as computer-readable code on a non-transitory computer-readablemedium. The computer-readable medium is any data storage device that canstore data, which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examplesof the computer-readable medium include hard drives, network attachedstorage (NAS), ROM, RAM, compact disc-ROMs (CD-ROMs), CD-recordables(CD-Rs), CD-rewritables (RWs), magnetic tapes and other optical andnon-optical data storage devices. The computer-readable medium caninclude computer-readable tangible medium distributed over anetwork-coupled computer system so that the computer-readable code isstored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Although the method operations were described in a specific order, itshould be understood that other housekeeping operations may be performedin between operations, or operations may be performed in an order otherthan that shown, or operations may be adjusted so that they occur atslightly different times, or may be distributed in a system which allowsthe occurrence of the processing operations at various intervalsassociated with the processing.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been described in some detailfor purposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent thatcertain changes and modifications can be practiced within the scope ofthe appended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the variousembodiments described in the present disclosure are not to be limited tothe details given herein, but may be modified within the scope andequivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising, capturing activity dataassociated with activity of a user via a device, the activity data beingcaptured over time, the activity data quantified by a plurality ofmetrics; storing the activity data in storage of the device; connectingthe device with a computing device over a wireless communication link;using a first transfer rate for transferring activity data captured andstored over a period of time, the first transfer rate used followingstartup of an activity tracking application on the computing device; andusing a second transfer rate for transferring activity data from thedevice to the computing device for display of the activity data insubstantial-real time on the computing device, the method is executed bya processor.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transfer rateis selected for transferring the activity data from the storage of thedevice to the computing device.
 3. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, transferring the activity data to an activity managementserver to update the plurality of metrics associated with the activityof the user, the activity management server, from time to time,synchronizing activity data and settings with the computing device. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the second transfer rate is selected totransfer activity data, upon or substantially after being produced inthe device, to the computing device for display on the computing devicein substantial real-time.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firsttransfer rate is set at a scaled-up connection interval, while thesecond transfer rate is set at a scaled-down connection interval, thefirst transfer rate being higher than the second transfer rate.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising, receiving setting configurationsfrom the activity management server, as obtained from the computingdevice, the setting configurations being received from a user accountthat is associated with the device, the activity management serverconfigured to render graphical user interfaces on a website to displaythe plurality of metrics in various illustration configurations, thetransferring of the activity data in the first transfer rate and thesecond transfer rate acting to obtain activity data from the device andsynchronize the plurality of metrics for display on the computing deviceand on the website.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising,transferring firmware updates, using the first transfer rate, to thedevice, in response to installation instructions obtained from a server.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of metrics include oneor more of step count metrics, or stair count metrics, or distancetraveled metrics, or active time metrics, or calories burned metrics, orheart rate metrics, or sleep metrics, or combinations two or morethereof.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, detecting thedevice being within a proximity distance from the computing device, theproximity distance being within a low energy wireless communication linkdistance; and enabling connection.
 10. The method of claim 9, furthercomprising, determining that the device is connectable with thecomputing device and that the activity tracking application is currentlyclosed; and when the determination is true, enabling the second transferrate for processing background transfers of activity data from thedevice to the computing device, the background transfers occurring atpredefined intervals.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein the pluralityof metrics include a time of day metric and metrics representingactivity data captured by the device or sensed by the device.
 12. Adevice configured for capture of activity for a user, comprising, ahousing; a sensor disposed in the housing to capture activity dataassociated with activity of the user; a memory for storing the capturedactivity data; and a processor for managing connection of the devicewith a computing device over a wireless communication link, theprocessor configured to use a first transfer rate for transferringactivity data captured and stored in memory of the device, andconfigured to use a second transfer rate for transferring activity datafor display in substantial-real time on the computing device as thesensor captures the activity data.
 13. The device of claim 12, whereinthe housing is part of a wearable wrist attachable structure, or anattachable structure that can be carried or worn by the user.
 14. Thedevice of claim 12, further comprising one or both of an altimeter andan accelerometer.
 15. The device of claim 12, wherein the first transferrate is further used by the processor for receiving data that is to beapplied as firmware updates at the device.
 16. The device of claim 12,wherein the second transfer rate is slower than the first transfer rate.17. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured suchthat the first transfer rate is set at a scaled-up connection interval,while the second transfer rate is set at a scaled-down connectioninterval, the first transfer rate being higher than the second transferrate.
 18. The device of claim 12, wherein the processor, in firsttransfer rate, enables transfer of firmware updates to the device, asdirected by a server application.
 19. The device of claim 12, whereinthe processor is configured such that detection of the device within aproximity distance from the computing device is performed, the proximitydistance being within a low energy wireless communication distance; andthe processor is configured to then enable the connection.
 20. Thedevice of claim 19, wherein the processor, in response to analysis ofthe update condition, further determines, that the device is connectedwith the computing device and the activity tracking application isclosed, and enables the second transfer rate for processing backgroundtransfers of activity data from the device to the computing device, thebackground transfers occurring a predefined intervals while the deviceremains connectable with the computing device and the trackingapplication remains closed and is installed on the computing device. 21.The device of claim 12, wherein the housing further includes wirelesscommunication logic for transferring data over the wirelesscommunication link.
 22. The device of claim 21, wherein the wirelesscommunication logic includes one of a wireless connection processinglogic, or a low energy wireless processing logic, or radio processinglogic.
 23. The device of claim 21, wherein the computing device isconfigured for access with an activity management server.
 24. A method,comprising, capturing activity data associated with activity of a uservia a device, the activity data being captured over time, the activitydata quantified by a plurality of metrics and storing the activity datain storage of the device; connecting the device to a computing deviceover a wireless communication link; setting a data transfer rate betweenthe device and the computing device, the transfer rate being one of afirst transfer rate for transferring activity data captured and storedover a period of time or a second transfer rate for transferringactivity data that is displayable in substantial-real time on thecomputing device; and transferring the activity data from the device tothe computing device at the selected first or second transfer rate;wherein the first transfer rate is set in response to scaling-up aconnection interval and the second transfer rate is set in response toscaling-down the connection interval, the method is executed by aprocessor.
 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second transfer rateis selected to transfer activity data, upon or substantially after beingproduced in the device, to the computing device for display on thecomputing device, in the substantial real-time.
 26. The method of claim25, wherein substantial real-time includes a delay of less than 1 secondfrom a time at which activity data is produced on the device to beingdisplayed on the computing device.
 27. The method of claim 25, whereinthe first transfer rate additionally enables transfer of firmwareupdates to the device.
 28. The method of claim 25, wherein the pluralityof metrics include a time of day metric and metrics representingactivity data captured by the device, measured by the device or sensedby the device.
 29. A computer readable medium for storing programinstructions executable by a processor, the computer readable mediumcomprising, program instructions for capturing activity data associatedwith activity of a user via a device, the activity data being capturedover time, the activity data quantified by a plurality of metrics andstoring the activity data in storage of the device; program instructionsfor connecting the device to a computing device over a wirelesscommunication link; program instructions for setting a data transferrate between the device and the computing device, the transfer ratebeing one of a first transfer rate for transferring activity datacaptured and stored over a period of time or a second transfer rate fortransferring activity data that is displayable in substantial-real timeon the computing device; and program instructions for transferring theactivity data from the device to the computing device at the selectedfirst or second transfer rate; wherein the first transfer rate is set inresponse to scaling-up a connection interval and the second transferrate is set in response to scaling-down the connection interval, themethod is executed by a processor.
 30. The computer readable medium ofclaim 29, wherein the second transfer rate is selected to transferactivity data, upon or substantially after being produced in the device,to the computing device for display on the computing device, in thesubstantial real-time, and the plurality of metrics include a time ofday metric and metrics representing activity data captured by thedevice, measured by the device or sensed by the device.